Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amber Gonzales Duong. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Amber thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

A local baker introduced me to icingsmiles.org. Icing Smiles is a nonprofit organization that provides custom celebration cakes and other treats to families impacted by the critical illness of a child. I am an ovarian cancer survivor myself, and since then I still struggle with my health. I have been chosen as a baker for some children going through more than any person, let alone a child, should ever go through. Seeing their smiles when they’ve picked up their cakes has been incredibly rewarding. Not only that, I am able to keep up with them on social media and see how they are doing. I feel truly blessed to be able to provide a dream cake for these amazing kids. I bake to make others happy, and this always reminds me of that.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I took an interest in cooking and baking at a young age. I liked to help my dad and my mom cook, and eventually took over making dinners. My mom learned to bake from my grandma, and she would make the cakes for all of our family parties. I watched her and eventually she started teaching me how to decorate. In high school, I joined Culinary Academy at California High School in Whittier. This was so amazing, and we had the opportunity to join competitions. I made a wedding cake, and I was gifted a scholarship to Johnson & Wales University. I moved to Rhode Island for 4 years, received my Bachelors Degree of Science, Culinary Arts and worked while I was in school at various restaurants. Due to some other factors, I transitioned and created my baking business, Short N Sweet Desserts. I started with just cakes, and started creating my own recipes for brownies, cinnamon rolls, breads, pies, and any other dessert that I felt like exploring. Before I knew it, I was being requested for pop up vendor events. I started to become more known in Whittier, and developed amazing relationships with my local community. I am proud of the products I put out, knowing they are made with so much passion and high quality ingredients. My two boys love to brag and offer my baked goods to anyone who will listen to them. My husband has been one of my biggest supporters. He cleared out space in his garage for my supplies, he sets up and stays with me for pop ups, he is my taste tester, and just my go to person. I could not do this without his support. My brother is another big supporter, who has watched me through every struggle and every accomplishment. He has always encouraged me and when I am feeling overwhelmed, he can bring me back to life. What I would want my clients to know is everything I make, is to make others smile and to bring joy to wherever that dessert is going. It truly is a passion and I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of so many important moments.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Being a creative is so much more than creating the cake/dessert. I usually spend at least an hour or two messaging my client about the order to go over details. Then I price it out, order anything needed, create the product, and then create content to post on social media. This is all being done while also working around my boys’ busy schedules. This is much more work than simply baking a cake as a lot of people think. People get upset when I can not answer them immediately, or when I can not confirm something right then and there. It takes a lot of work to run your own business, and I think people forget it is usually one person doing it all behind the scenes. Quoting the item alone takes time, and there are many people who just stop responding. It’s tough, but I think people don’t understand how time consuming the whole process really is.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think supporting your local creatives, bakers, creators is the most important thing. Share their posts, comment on their posts, mention them to your friends and family. So many are so quick to share celebrity items, yet they hesitate to share from their local vendor. I know I get so happy and also so proud when I see someone shared my post. Getting a referral is also amazing. It truly makes my heart happy. I am ecstatic to see/hear friends/family/colleagues referring me for parties and event. I am so grateful to my supporters!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shortnsweetdesserts.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shortnsweetdesserts_